Calorie-burning beverage, Deodorizing gum, Sign sightings

Calorie-burning beverage

Enviga:

Calorie-burning drink.

Credit: Coca-Cola

Enviga:

Calorie-burning drink.

Credit: Coca-Cola

If you want to burn calories, drink Enviga. That's the message that Coca-Cola and Nestlé want to get out to consumers about their new product. "Because each can of Enviga contains only 5 calories, you end up burning more than you consume—so for the first time, you can actually 'drink negative,' " according to the product's website, www.enviga.com.

The green tea and caffeine beverage contains the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate, which Nestlé researcher Hilary Green says speeds up metabolism and increases energy use, especially when combined with caffeine. A study by Nestlé scientists suggests that consuming three 12-ounce cans of Enviga over the course of a day results in a noticeable increase in calorie burning.

The website mouseprint.org, whose goal is to "expose the strings and catches in advertising fine print," points out in an Oct. 16 post that the study was small and the results showed no difference in fat oxidation between those drinking Enviga versus a placebo.

Enviga's website does not mention anything about weight loss but says the drink is a simple and positive step toward a healthy, balanced lifestyle. The beverage comes in three flavors: green tea, berry, and punch, and it will hit the U.S. market in the Northeast in November. It will debut nationally in January.

In related news, Palmers "Slim Fit 20" caffeine hosiery claims to help fight the flab. The fiber is impregnated with caffeine microcapsules, and, according to the product's website, www.tightsplease.co.uk/caffeinetights/index.php, "body temperature causes the release of caffeine microcapsules into the skin, increasing the metabolic rate and the burning of fat." When Newscripts checked, the product was sold out. Could this product be for real?

Deodorizing gum

Gum:

Freshens body and breath.

Credit: Compact Impact

Gum:

Freshens body and breath.

Credit: Compact Impact

A new chewing gum from Japan can freshen your body as it freshens your breath, according to an Oct. 30 post on www.dailycandy.com. Pop a stick of the gum into your mouth, and in about an hour, your body should start emitting a fragrant aroma. The scents, due to aroma chemicals such as geraniol and linalool, are released from the skin after being consumed with the gum. Fuwarinka gum is available through www.compactimpact.com and comes in three flavors: fresh citrus, fruity rose, and rose menthol.

Meanwhile, Candy Dynamics of Carmel, Ind., has introduced a new sour-apple treat called the Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge Sour Chew Bar. The candy is packaged in a yellow and black danger design to emphasize the sour taste and toxic green color. The candy is available on the product's website, www.mrtoxiehead.com.

Sign sightings

Research:

A dead end street?

Credit: Martin Deetz

Research:

A dead end street?

Credit: Martin Deetz

Our item on the Acura advertisement spelled out using elements of the periodic table (C&EN, Aug. 21, page 248) prompted readers to send in their own sightings.

On a recent trip to Baltimore, Martin J. Deetz, a senior scientist at Rohm and Haas, Spring House, Pa., happened upon Research Ave. Right above the street sign was another sign that read, "dead end." Deets jokes, "It's something that I and my colleagues in R&D find quite amusing, as we have all been down that road before."

K. Brian Killday, of Fort Piece, Fla., spotted a billboard for Ford's Fusion vehicle that read, "Sticks to the road like a positively charged electron." Killday quips: "Has Ford found a way to change the laws of physics and put a positive charge on an electron?"

And Jeff Long of Wilmington, Del., recalled a 1999 Volkswagen ad for the Turbo Volkswagen Beetle, which featured a fictitious new element, turbonium. Although the website www.turbonium.com no longer works, readers can view the ad on YouTube.com. Enter the search word "turbonium."

This week's column was written by Linda Wang. Please send comments and suggestions to newscripts@acs.org.